UCL Medical School Interview Questions (2026 Entry)
Thinking about UCL Medicine? Great choice—UCL is located in central London, with teaching at UCLH, Royal Free, and Whittington hospitals. This guide compiles official UCL Medical School information on who gets interviewed, how the MMI operates, when decisions are made, and what is assessed—plus a large bank of UCL-style practice stations and expert tips.
How UCL decides who to invite to interview (shortlisting)
UCAT + minimum academics. First, UCL checks that you meet the minimum academic entry requirements. If you do, your total UCAT score ranks you for an interview; if totals tie, SJT is used to separate candidates. Personal statements aren’t scored for interview selection (but still write reflectively).
2025 context & 2026 change. For 2025 entry, UCL published the minimum UCAT totals that were invited (out of 3600): Access UCL 2600, Home 2800, Overseas 3060. For 2026 entry, UCAT changes (Abstract Reasoning removed) reduce the total to 2700, so absolute numbers aren’t comparable and no predictive cut-off is possible.
Scale of competition. UCL notes ~3,800 applications for ~334 places in a typical year.
How UCL interviews for 2026 entry
MMI format (official). UCL uses Multiple Mini Interviews (MMIs). Home fee-status candidates are interviewed on campus; Overseas candidates are interviewed online. No offers are made without an interview.
Station structure. The MMI has up to 8 stations, each 5 minutes, with 1 minute reading time before each station; interviewers typically ask 2–3 questions per station.
On-the-day details (in person). UCL asks you to arrive 30 minutes early at the Rockefeller Building, 21 University Street, London WC1E 6DE, bringing photo ID.
When are interviews held?
UCL invites candidates on a rolling basis from December through to the end of March each cycle.
What is assessed at the interview?
UCL publishes the domains used to score you:
Academic curiosity & interest in healthcare
Motivation & realistic insight (robustness for the course)
Problem-solving & reasoning
Professional attitudes & values (flexibility, integrity, empathy, conscientiousness, compassion)
Teamwork, leadership, resilience & strengths
Communication skills (verbal ability, listening, eye contact)
(Sources: UCL interviews & selection webpages—official.)
UCL also frames content around NHS values (e.g., putting patients first, compassion, dignity, quality of care).
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🧪 Want a timed circuit with feedback? Join our MMI Mock Circuits. bluepeanut.com/mmi-courses
How many applicants get interviewed, and how many receive offers?
UCL also notes it receives ~3,800 applications for ~334 places in typical years.
When are offers released?
UCL says some offers may be made in February, but most are released towards the end of March once MMIs are complete. Decisions then appear in UCAS Hub and your UCL portal.
For the broader UCAS timeline (2026 cycle): Reject-by-Default is 13 May 2026, and UCAS re-introduces a 31 March advisory deadline to encourage earlier decisions. (Source: UCAS—official.)
Key date now: The medicine deadline for 2026 entry was 15 October 2025 (18:00 UK time).
Topics UCL commonly covers (based on official domains)
Why Medicine / Why UCL, insight & motivation
Ethics and professionalism (autonomy, consent, confidentiality, justice)
Communication & empathy (including role-play)
Teamwork, leadership, and resilience
Problem-solving & data interpretation
Healthcare awareness & NHS values
70+ UCL-style example MMI stations (statement ➝ question)
UCL does not publish its station bank. The following realistic prompts are aligned to UCL’s official assessment domains and MMI timing. Practise answering concisely (≈2–3 questions per 5-minute station). (Based on UCL’s domain list and MMI description—official.)
🟦 Motivation & Insight
You’ve attended hospital volunteering and observed compassionate care in a pressured ward. How did that shape your motivation for Medicine at UCL?
UCL emphasises academic curiosity and healthcare impact. Where have you shown genuine curiosity beyond your syllabus—and why does that matter for Medicine?
Medicine at UCL is long and demanding. What practical strategies will you use to sustain motivation over six years?
You’ll study in central London across major hospitals. How will the setting influence your learning and career aims?
A mentor tells you Medicine is not what you expect.” What have you done to gain a realistic insight into the role?
🟩 Healthcare Awareness / NHS Values
6. Primary care access is under pressure nationally. What practical steps could improve continuity and access without compromising safety?
7. Digital health is expanding rapidly. When does technology enhance, and when might it hinder, patient-centred care?
8. An Integrated Care System is trying to reduce hospital bed days. What upstream changes would you prioritise?
9. Strikes have affected NHS services. How would you balance doctors’ rights with duties to patients?
10. Health inequalities persist across London. What actions can clinicians take within their sphere of control?
🟪 Ethics & Professionalism
11. A 15-year-old refuses recommended treatment. How do you approach capacity, best interests, and safeguarding?
12. A patient asks you to keep a disclosure secret from their partner. How do you handle confidentiality and potential harm?
13. You witness poor hand-hygiene compliance by a senior. How would you raise concerns while preserving team functioning?
14. A patient demands antibiotics for a viral illness. How do you explain stewardship and negotiate a plan?
15. Allocation of limited ICU beds is required. What ethical principles guide fair decision-making?
🟨 Communication / Role-play
16. Your “patient” is anxious about a new hypertension diagnosis. Explain what it means and agree first steps.
17. A parent is upset about delayed test results. Acknowledge feelings and outline what you’ll do next.
18. A colleague repeatedly interrupts you in a handover. Show how you’d assert yourself respectfully.
19. A patient with low health literacy needs to consent for a scan. How will you ensure informed, voluntary consent?
20. You must break bad news about a postponed operation. How will you structure this conversation?
🟧 Problem-Solving & Data Interpretation
21. An A&E sees four arrivals at once. Triage them safely and justify your order.
22. You’re given a chart on sepsis-bundle compliance vs mortality. What patterns do you see—and what caveats apply?
23. A GP surgery trialled a new asthma review process. Interpret the before/after data and suggest next steps.
24. You have limited time and conflicting tasks on placement. How would you prioritise?
25. A ward’s discharge delays are rising. What root causes would you explore and how?
🟥 Teamwork, Leadership & Resilience
26. Your team disagrees about how to run a charity event. How would you resolve conflict and move forward?
27. You’ve made a mistake on a project submission. What did you do immediately—and what did you learn?
28. Exams clash with caring responsibilities. How will you protect wellbeing and academic standards?
29. A peer is underperforming in a group task. How will you support them while safeguarding outcomes?
30. You lead a mixed-ability team under time pressure. What leadership behaviours will you use?
🟫 Values & Reflection
31. You felt out of your depth in a clinical setting. How did you seek help, and what changed next time?
32. You were praised for compassion outside medicine. Why is that relevant to clinical practice?
33. Feedback from a teacher felt unfair. How did you process it and improve?
34. You experienced moral distress during volunteering. How did you manage it?
35. You observed exemplary teamwork on placement. What behaviours would you emulate?
🟦 UCL-specific fit
36. UCL’s MMI tests broad attributes via multiple interviewers. Why might this be fairer than a single panel for you?
37. UCL highlights research-minded, curious clinicians. Where have you explored a topic independently—and what did you find?
38. The Rockefeller Building hosts in-person MMIs. What will you do on the day to perform at your best?
39. London placements can be intense. How will you use university support to sustain resilience?
40. Interdisciplinary study is common at UCL. How could your non-science interests enhance your practice?
🟩 More communication/role-play practice
41. A patient repeatedly misses diabetes reviews. Explore barriers and co-create a realistic plan.
42. An elderly patient’s daughter dominates the consultation. Re-centre the patient while preserving rapport.
43. Anxious student partner calls about exam stress. Signpost support and agree boundaries.
44. Interpreter services are delayed for a clinic. What would you do to maintain safety and dignity?
45. You must explain a simple clinical study to a lay audience. How do you avoid jargon yet stay accurate?
🟪 Extra ethics/problem-solving
46. A social media post shows a colleague mocking patients. What action would you take and why?
47. A new screening test has false positives. How should it be introduced responsibly?
48. A health app shares data with insurers. Discuss consent, privacy, and equity.
49. You suspect coercion in a consent conversation. What steps would you take?
50. A charity can fund either paediatrics or geriatrics. How will you set priorities fairly?
🟧 Quick-fire personal insight
51. You faced a setback this year. What changed because of it?
52. You taught someone a new skill. What did you learn about communication?
53. You disagreed with a friend about a sensitive topic. How did you keep it constructive?
54. You balanced school with part-time work. What did that teach you about time management?
55. You read a healthcare article this week. Summarise and critique it.
🟥 Rapid data/logic mini-tasks
56. Admissions deciles vary yearly. Why should cut-off predictions be treated cautiously?
57. Given a simple risk chart, translate relative vs absolute risk for a patient.
58. QR code attendance rose, but grades didn’t. What hypotheses would you test?
59. A vaccination poster underperforms. How would you improve it?
60. A triage flowchart conflicts with clinical judgment. How do you escalate?
🟫 Resilience & wellbeing follow-ups
61. Sleep fell to 5h/night pre-exams. What would you change next time?
62. You’re overwhelmed during the MMI circuit. How will you reset between stations?
63. A friend wants your revision notes but doesn’t contribute. How do you respond?
64. You lost marks for poor structure. How will you fix that in the answers?
65. Your laptop dies before a deadline. What systems will you set up to prevent repetition?
🟦 UCL/NHS values wrap-up
66. A patient’s dignity is at risk during a rushed clinic. What will you do in the moment?
67. You notice language bias in notes. How would you challenge it?
68. A student colleague discloses burnout. How will you help and safeguard patients?
69. Your team succeeds because of someone unseen. How do you recognise contributions?
70. You’re asked something you don’t know. How do you answer honestly yet helpfully?
Student comments (informal, anecdotal)
Applicant threads commonly report rolling interview invites starting late Nov/early Dec and forum speculation that offers cluster around Feb–Mar. Treat anecdotes with caution and rely on UCL’s website for policy; still, it’s reassuring that many candidates hear about the process at different points across the window. (Examples: Student Room threads.)
Top tips for a strong UCL MMI
Map every answer to a domain + value. Make your structure clear: Point → Example → Reflection → Link to NHS value/UCL. (Domains from the UCL website.)
Practise timed stations (5 min) with 1-min reading. Simulate the real cadence so you don’t overrun. (UCL MMI timing—official.)
Role-plays = empathy + clarity + checking understanding. Use plain language, signpost, summarise, and safety-net.
Balance views on hot topics. Present both sides, then conclude with a patient-first rationale.
Stay reflective, not rehearsed. UCL doesn’t score PS for interview selection, but authenticity at the interview counts. (UCL selection page.)
Know the logistics. If you’re Home fee-status, plan the Rockefeller route + photo ID; Overseas—test your tech. (UCL interviews & selection pages.)
Sources you should bookmark (official UCL pages)
Selection & Interviews overview (incl. Home in-person/Overseas online, volume of applications, “no offers without interview”): UCL Medical School. University College London
Interviews (MMI structure, dates, on-the-day guidance, offer timings): UCL Medical School. University College London
Selection Procedure (UCAT-led shortlisting, 2025 thresholds, 2026 UCAT change, assessed domains): UCL Medical School. University College London
2026 Entry Requirements: UCL Medical School. University College London
UCAS 2026 cycle dates (RBD 13 May 2026, advisory 31 Mar): UCAS.
Ready to practise like the real thing?
🎯 Book our Medical School Interview Course — taught by NHS doctors who teach at 3 UK Medical Schools. bluepeanut.com/medical-school-interview
🧪 Want a timed circuit with feedback? Join our MMI Mock Circuits. bluepeanut.com/mmi-courses
